


The Siren

by ArianneNightingale



Category: Fate: The Winx Saga (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29384367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArianneNightingale/pseuds/ArianneNightingale
Summary: Bloom gets into trouble when she runs into the headmistress after eating some of Terra's  brownies. Safe to say a whole lot of mayhem ensues. Particularly when it comes to our favourite headmistress and headmasterFarah/Saul centric
Relationships: Farah Dowling/Saul Silva
Comments: 142
Kudos: 256





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how it happened, but I accidently deleted this work after uploading the second chapter.... Fortunately, I've saved my work on my phone.
> 
> Not going to lie, I'm a little sad about losing all the kind comments and kudos some of you already left.
> 
> Just a little bit of fun, inspired by the fact that Eve Best has lovely hair :)

"Bloom, please wait!!"

There was an urgent quality to Aisha's voice even though her call was barely a whisper. The hallways were dark and deserted at this hour. The students of Alfea were all in bed. All but the fairies from the winx suite, four of whom were currently chasing the fifth through the school. Bloom was just about to round the next corner when a voice stopped her in her tracks. 

"What is the meaning of this?" 

The group froze, then slowly they started to turn around, knowing all too well who the voice belonged to. Terra cowered visibly under the headmistress's stare. Having known Ms Dowling all her life, she was familiar with that particular look. They were in trouble. Deep, deep trouble. The headmistress was wearing a flowy, light blue robe that reached the floor and looked decidedly more stately than anyone in their night clothes had a right to look. Her hair, usually secured in an intricate updo, was falling down in soft waves stopping at her midriff. Although, Terra had seen her hair in a braid once or twice, which was the way she wore it to bed in order to keep it from tangling, she'd never seen it down. It looked rather nice on her, somewhat softening her appearance

"Miss Dowling" 

Aisha started, in an unsteady voice. Looking from her teacher to Bloom, who's eyes were wide and unfocused, a slightly stupid smile plastered on her face. 

"We were just-"

Her gaze fell on the rest of her friends, silently begging for support as she struggled to try and find the right words. Not that there were any words to explain the disaster that had been the last half hour. Running after the fire fairy, trying and failing to persuade her to come back to the suite.

"Oh my god, it's just soooo pretty!" 

Before Aisha could say any more, Bloom suddenly lunged forward and started stroking Dowling's long hair. The movement was surprisingly gentle after the amount of flailing Bloom had been doing in the previous 30 minutes. The headmistress started to move backwards the moment her student's hand landed on her hair, but it was too late. Bloom had already grabbed onto the blonde tresses and for a moment everyone was completely still, astonished how quickly events had escalated. 

"Can someone please explain the meaning of this?"

Having regained her composure, Miss Dowling asked in a strict voice. The effect of which was decidedly lessened by the fact that Bloom was now holding her hair against her face. 

"Well, you see, it's a funny story really.." 

Terra began in the nervous voice they'd heard so many times, but was quickly interrupted by Stella before she could do any more damage.

"Terra made some brownies and Bloom, having had a rather awful day, ate quite a few of them. When we noticed it was too late, so to speak." She said, stating the facts while leaving out the most important detail. 

"We just wanted to keep her out of trouble." 

Aisha added, which was ironic given the amount of trouble they were currently in. Dowling raised an eyebrow, giving up the attempt to untangle her hair from Bloom's grasp for the time being. 

"And these brownies were a special kind of brownies I assume."

None of them answered. Not that they needed to after Bloom exclaimed she had never felt this zen in het entire life and continued to brush the strands of hair against her face. 

"Bloom, please let go Miss Dowling's hair."

Terra stepped forward, the whole situation making her rather anxious. Musa, taking pity on both Terra and Ms Dowling, also walked up to Bloom, gently tugging at her arm. But it was no use. The fire fairy had a death grip on the strands of hair and pulling on her arm only led to Dowling letting out a sharp gasp at the painful tug at her scalp. 

"What on earth is going on here." 

To make matters even worse, they were interrupted by a new voice when headmaster Silva showed up down the corridor. Unlike the headmistress, he was still fully dressed in his combat clothing, his eyes widening almost comically at the scene in front of him. 

"We have a little situation here..."

Farah said exhasperated as Saul came to a halt in front of her. She would never live this down. It would be only a matter of minutes for the news to reach Ben, and the two of them would surely take every opportunity to poke fun at her for the next few weeks. 

"Bloom has gotten high accidentally and is now refusing to let go of my hair." 

Saul raised an eyebrow at the use of the word "accidently" in the sentence, but wisely doesn't ask. His eyes twinkle with held back laughter as she throws him a warning look. 

"Well your hair does look rather beautiful like this." 

The moment he says it, his eyes widen as though he'd never planned on saying it out loud. Farah feels a blush rising on her cheeks and suddenly she's extremely thankful for the dark. 

She clears her throat. "Alright I've had enough, everybody step back." 

The bystanders don't have to be told twice and scurry back as fast as possible when the brown eyes turn icy blue. As if on their own accord, Bloom's fingers open, finally leaving enough room for Dowling to be free from her grasp. 

"I expect the four of you in detention the rest of the week. Terra you can come see me in my office first thing tomorrow. Now back to bed, the lot of you." 

Farah turned on her heels, staying to make her way back to get private quarters, before stopping. "And someone make sure she drinks some water and takes some asprin." She adds without sparing them a glance. Silva, who'd been standing there dumbstruck after complimenting Dowling's hair, fixes them a hard stare. 

"What are you waiting for?" He barks, before walking after the headmistress. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Bloom is woken by the sound of Aisha's toothbrush. She groaned at the dull pounding in her head. 

""I've literally had the strangest dream. " She said groggily. "I dreamed about a siren with magical hair. I felt the most calm I've ever felt when I touched it." 

"I hate to break it to you Bloom, but that wasn't a dream." Aisha turned off her toothbrush, rinsing her mouth before breaking the news.

Bloom looked at her roommate, entirely expecting her to start laughing. "That's a joke right? I mean I didn't really touch a siren's hair"She asks, uncertainty creeping into het voice at seeing Aisha serious expression. 

"Well no siren's hair no. But you touched Dowling's hair. Held onto it pretty tight actually." 

At that, the other girls walked in to their room. Aisha looking apologetic, Stella and Musa looking rather amused, while Terra mainly looked guilty for some reason. 

"Please tell me I didn't... But how- what- Was she really angry?" 

Bloom wished the floor would swallow her whole, this was by far the most mortifying thing that had happened since she came to Alfea. And that included the first lesson at the stone circle and the time she'd barged into the staff room drunk. Though intoxicated, at least she hadn't touched het teacher inapropriately. 

"Well, she was definitely angry at me. I've just been up to her office, honestly I just wanted to disappear. You know how she gets. But we did tell her that you didn't know what was in the brownies, so she might not be to mad at you. "

Now that Bloom thought about it, the brownies had had a funny taste. At the time she'd chalked it up to the fact Terra just want very good at baking. Besides she'd been upset and the brownies were there. How many had she had? She actually doesn't remember. Enough to get really high apparently and make a fool of herself in front of the headmistress. And headmaster come to think of it. 

"She was mostly just shocked. Bit uncomfortable when you refused to let go. Little embarrased when Silva showed up. Furious when we told her about the brownies... Need I continue?"

Musa added, making light of the situation. The four of them had gotten off relatively scottfree. They'd only been given detention for the remainder of the week for being out of bed after hours. And since it was already Thursday, Musa reckoned it could've been much worse. Terra had bore the brunt of it though, having actually made the brownies and leaving them lying around unguarded. Still, Musa was convinced they wouldn't have been this lucky hadn't it been for the fact that Dowling had been distracted by Silva showing up. 

"Speaking of Silva, do you think they are.."

Stella was the first to articulate the question that was forming in all of their minds. 

"They're not together as far as I know. "

And Terra was sure she would know if their teachers were in a relationship, with her dad being their closest friend. 

"Well, regardless of whether they're together or not, I think Silva had the hots for her. Did you see how he looked at her last night? And him commenting on her hair, if that wasn't a slip up..." Stella continued. 

"Dowling and Silva? No way!" Aisha exclaimed, not really comfortable with their teachers being the subject of this type of gossip. 

"Oh he's got the hots for her believe me. " 

Musa stated with confidence, being the only one who could actually tell with some degree of certainty. 

"Musa!!" Stella exclaimed a hint of indignance in her voice. "How long have you known?" 

"Why didn't you tell us?" Asked Terra at the same time, her tone mirroring Stella's. 

"Ehm privacy? She doesn't go telling everybody about your feelings now does she?" 

Before Musa could answer, Aisha interjected trying to put a stop to this discussion. 

"How about Dowling?" Of course Stella was having none of it and eagerly continued questioning Musa. 

"I wouldn't know, she's hard to read most of the time. Yesterday, she got caught of guard, but usually she's pretty closed. It's quite nice for a change."

Musa managed to keep a straight face while lying through her teeth. She'd learned from a young age to be very careful about the information she shared and with whom. Although she knew her friends meant well, this was something Dowling and Silva needed to figure out for themselves. And if their feelings around each other were anything to go by, they would sort it out eventually. Stella was pouting now, disappointed not to have the confirmation she wanted, but she didn't push the matter further. Though that might have partly been because Bloom quickly changed the subject.

"I for one think I should apologise." 

Bloom had been dreading this since the moment she'd learned the truth. However, she knew it was the right thing to do and with that in mind she forced herself to get dressed and make her way to the headmistress's office. To her relief or perhaps disappointment, depending how you looked at it, the door was ajar. 

"Don't dawdle."

Came the voice from the inside. Bloom would probably never know how her teacher always seemed to know someone was outside, mustering the courage to go in. It might just be years of practice. 

"Ah Bloom, I was wondering if you'd appear in my office today. What can I do for you?" 

The headmistress said, not unkindly. Not that it made Bloom feel any better or did anything to reduce the embarrassment she still felt over last night's incident. 

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry." 

Her voice sounded weak even to her own ears. Yet, she forced herself to keep looking the other woman in the eyes. So there'd be no doubt she really meant it. 

"It's alright Bloom. You are not to blame, apart from perhaps eating your friend's brownies without asking. 

Dowling smiled at her and Bloom let out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. She was relieved that she wasn't in trouble and Ms Dowling didn't hold it against her. However, there was one thing still bothering her. 

"Ms Dowling, can I ask you something?" After a slight nod, she continued. "When I touched your hair, I felt really good. Calm, grounded, I guess. And I was really stressed that day..." 

"Bloom you were high. I think that answers your question."

Farah interrupted, before Bloom could finish her question. As the fire fairy left her office, she smiled to herself. The last thing she needed was for rumours about her hair spreading and students starting to dare each other to touch her it. She shuddered. Once had been more than enough

(Although she wouldn't mind such rumour to reach Saul, but that was another matter entirely)


	2. The Swamp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't planned on a second chapter when I wrote the first part, but I got such lovely comments, I could hardly refuse. I might even write a third part, but no promises
> 
> To Justice123: I ended up partly using one of your suggestions, I hope it lives up to your expectations 
> 
> (There might be some mistakes in here, because after accidentally deleting the entire work I just wanted to get it back up here as quickly as possible, so I didn't take a lot of time checking this chapter)

*flashback* 

As quickly as his dignity allowed, Saul marched after Farah. Only when he was certain he was completely out of sight of the five students, he broke out in a jog in attempt to catch up with her. He'd already made a fool of himself once, no need to add fuel to the fire. 

"Farah." 

He called out just as she was about to close her door. She looked surprised, but smiled as she stepped aside to let him in. While he sat down in one of the comfortable armchairs, she made her way towards the kitchen to put on the kettle. He swallowed, she looked breathtaking. No wonder his brain had malfunctioned earlier, speaking his thoughts out loud. In front of students at that! He felt his cheeks burning just thinking about it. He shook his head slightly while looking at her retreating form, willing himself to focus on something other than the gentle curves at the tie of her robe or the luscious waves falling down her back. 

"For the record, if any of this makes it back to Ben, I will have to retaliate."

She stated only half joking as she walked in holding two steaming mugs of tea. He smirked as she put one down in front of him. Her attempt to convince him to keep the incident to himself was failing spectacularly. Of course, he'd already planned on telling Ben first thing in the morning anyway - the roles have been reversed on more occasions than he can remember - but her promise to retaliate made it even more appealing. He's never been one to back down from a challenge. And the prospects of seeing Farah back in action is stirring up more excitement in him than he cares to admit.

"You know I can't make any promises. Besides you didn't see Bloom's face throughout the whole ordeal. I was rather proud I could stop myself from laughing out loud. Wish I could've filmed it though." 

Farah fixes him a strict look, but says no more about the matter. She'd known beforehand it had been a hopeless case. Instead, mostly in order to have something to do with her hands, she summons a hairbrush. Slowly she starts working on untangling the knots that have formed when Bloom was "handling" her hair. 

"You're still set on taking the specialists outside the barrier tomorrow morning?" 

Part of the measures set in place after the reappearance of the burned ones, was the deal either Ben or Farah would accompany any and all trips outside the barrier. Just in case. Since Ben had classes to teach next morning, it was Farah's turn to escort the specialists to and from their special field training in the swamps. Saul only hums in reply, mesmerised by her movements as she brushes and then braids her hair. He's awed at the length of it. She used to wear it down during their first couple of years at Alfea, but it had been a lot shorter back then. Though no less beautiful, if you asked him. However, during their time as soldiers it had obviously been more practical for her to tie it back and out of the way. After that, when she'd become headmistress, she simply kept wearing it up as part of the carefully crafted teacher persona she projected to the students. 

"Saul?" 

He could hear the question mark, realising he'd zoned out. Not for the first time that night, he felt the heat rising to his cheeks. 

"Sorry, I was miles away." He clarified in what he desperately hoped was a casual voice. 

"I asked whether we're leaving at ten?" 

He gaped at her, not following. 

"The field training? Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you were miles away." She hit his shoulder playfully. 

*end of flashback*

"So what's this business with your magical unicorn hair I've been hearing about?" 

Ben couldn't keep the smile out of his voice as he questioned his friend at breakfast. He'd heard the story in full already, but naturally that wasn't nearly as fun as asking Farah to clarify. 

"Who told you? Terra or Saul? 

Resisting the bait, she countered with a question. Even though she had a rising suspicion who was the culprit. 

"Terra knows better than to poke the bear. Especially given the trouble she's already in." 

He says casually, referring to the talk she'd had with Terra earlier. It's all the confirmation she needs, she was going to kill Saul. By the end of the day, he'd wished he'd never even opened his mouth. 

"So can I touch it?" 

Perhaps she ought to kill Ben too, while she was at it. But Saul first, she thought to herself while dodging Ben's hands. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

While their teachers were distracted, Beatrix and riven had sneaked off breakfast to have their first smoke of the day. 

"You'll never guess the completely mental story I overheard this morning. Basically Bloom ate a lot of of Terra's brownies last night and now seems to think Dowling has some some sort of magical hair. Because - here it comes - she felt really relaxed when she touched it. Ehm duh, you were high. She's mortified though. Apparently she was rubbing her face against Dowling's hair. Absolutely shameless" 

The cigarette comes to a halt halfway to Beatrix's mouth. If Riven's expecting a laugh he's going to be disappointed. 

"You know that's not entirely unthinkable." 

She said after a while, looking pensively. Finally moving the cigarette to her lips to take a long drag. 

"You are kidding me!" 

Riven exclaims. He'd dismissed the whole story as a load of crap when he first heard Bloom confiding it to Sky, but seeing the air fairy's reaction, he wasn't too sure anymore. 

"I most certainly am not. Dowling's a mind fairy, a powerful one. If she was caught unaware - and I'm guessing she was - she might have channelled some, if not all of Bloom's negative emotions." 

Riven mouth was hanging open by now, but Beatrix took no notice. 

"Of course, it wouldn't have been just her hair. Though I imagine not even Bloom would have been stupid enough to try and cop a feel anywhere else, not even high." 

A grin started to form on Riven's face, as if he'd just conceived some ridulously idiotic notion. Which in fact, he had. 

"Oh my god, that sounds even better than getting high! And all I'd need to do is catch her off guard..." Riven was being completely serious, and being a complete and utter moron if you asked Beatrix.

"And get expelled you dumbo." 

Sometimes Beatrix wasn't sure why she even hung out with the specialist. Still she was sure he'd be more useful to her inside the school as opposed to out. 

"Okay, maybe not the most brilliant plan I've had... But come on, you must admit this sheds a whole new light on our beloved headmistress." 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

It was five minutes to ten when Farah reached the barrier. Even though technically she was early, the specialists were geared up and ready to go. They went on field trips like this once a month, learning to fight on unfamiliar terrains sometimes treacherous terrain, as was the case with the swamps. It was quiet, peaceful even, in the first during their walk, though that didn't stop her from being on high alert. The last few sightings had her left her and the rest of the staff more than a little worried. Having arrived at the swamps she set up a temporary protection, so the students could train in peace. Having completed her duty for now, Farah leant back against a tree, fully intending to enjoy the show - as at least one student was bound to fall face down in the mud - When all of a sudden she caught Silva's last words. 

"Miss Dowling used to be quite proficient with one of those." 

Surprise appeared on the specialists faces, not having expected this particular bit of information. 

"Used to?" 

Saul realised his mistake too late. In retrospect, she probably wouldn't even have challenged him if it hadn't been for him telling Ben about last night (and Ben making fun of it during breakfast). It was a bold move to pick a fight with Saul, who was an extremely skilled fighter due to his training as well as his current position. Certainly more skilled than she was, though when push came to shove she could always magic herself out of any sticky situation that might arise. It would hardly be fair obviously, but she wasn't above cheating in this case. After all, Saul had started it. 

"Give that to me." 

She demanded the specialist closest to her to hand over their training weapon. Not giving her opponent any time to recover from his shock, she immediately started her offence. If she'd been worried she'd be or of practice, she needn't have bothered. The moves came back to her with surprising ease. She didn't know how long they'd been fighting for, but the end was still nowhere in sight. Even though Saul should have realistically had the upperhand after getting over the initial surprise, with the desire to extract some form of revenge spurring her on, the odds seemed to have evened out. She was vaguely aware of the students cheering her on, but other than that her focus was solely directed at the task at hand. She had to stop herself on multiple occasions from admiring the way he moved, the muscles visibly contracting beneath his shirt Instead she concentrated on hitting as hard and fast as she could while at the same time avoiding her opponent's weapon. She wasn't even aware of the hairpins that were slowly coming loose, her hair coming undone bit by bit as they relentlessly fought on. Saul did notice, however, and even though his distraction lasted little more than a split second, it was enough for Farah to pry the training weapon out of his hands with a well aimed jab, before swiftly hitting him on the back of the knees. A triumphant smile began to form on her face when his knees buckled and he began to fall backwards. The expression, however, quickly changed to horror as she felt his hand close around the lapels of het jacket pulling her down with him. She landed on top of him - which was actually not the worst way to land, considering the landscape they were in. However, acutely aware of the students surrounding them, she instinctively rolled off of him. Into the mud. As she got up, she immediately employed her magic in the process to remove most of the dirt and water from her clothes and her hair. Hopefully at least part of her dignity was still left intact. Unfortunately, her hair wasn't so easily fixed. The entirely bottom half had come undone, leaving Farah no choice but to remove the remaining hairpins. 

"Now that was certainly a dishonourable way to die." 

She quipped while looking down at Silva, who was only now getting up. Some of the specialists snickered. His eyes were silently pleading her to remove the mud from his attire as well. However, his puppy dog eyes had no effect on her. Not after pulling her down with him into the swamp. She gave him an amused smile as she took in his predicament. Leave it to him to make the mud stained look appear rugged and manly. Rather attractive even. Not that she'd ever tell him that. 

""Give me that phone, Riven. Right now!" 

Silva suddenly barked at the specialist who'd filmed everything. Riven's shoulders dropped in disappointment as he handed over the device. 

"You can have it back at the end of the day." 

Saul smirked inwardly, he'd be damned if he didn't take this opportunity to watch the fight back at his own leasure. He might even show it to Ben later. Who knows, Farah might take it upon herself to retaliate again. Remembering the way her body had toppled onto his, he decided risking Farah's wrath had turned out to be way more pleasurable than he could have ever imagined. 

"Alright, everybody pair up, be careful where you place your feet." Silva instructed as if nothing remotely interesting had happened in the minutes before. Farah had to admire him for it, especially since he was still covered in mud.

The remainder of the training had been uneventful, though by the end of it a few specialists were looking more or less like their trainer after taking a spill. The walk back wasn't too bad either, at least not untill they neared the school. Perhaps she should've magically cleaned up the headmaster after all, she thought in vain upon seeing the faces in front of her. But the damage was already done. One glance at their headmistress's wild appearance and the headmaster's muddy clothes and the whole student body seemed to start whispering at once. Not that the story of her and Saul fighting wouldn't have spread like wild fire through the school regardless. Even without the help of Riven's video, it was bound to be the topic of the day, possibly week. Actually that may just turn out to be in her favour, Farah suddenly realised. Should any rumours happen to arise about her hair, they'd almost certainly be snowed under by the recount of today's events. If they were going to be talking about her she'd rather it be about the moment she took down headmaster Silva in a fight. 

"We'd better get cleaned up." 

She stated after Saul had dismissed the specialists. She'd taken only a few steps when his voice stopped het in her tracks.

"Farah?" 

Expectantly she turned around finding him right behind her. Later he couldn't quite understand where he'd found the courage, but in that moment - completely enthralled by her wild beauty and feeling strangely fearless as a result of their tumble in the swamp - he raised his arm picking a leaf out of her hair before brushing it behind her ear. She felt a shiver down her spine at the uncharacteristic gentleness of his movements. 

"Thank you."

Did he imagine it or was she sounding slightly breathless? It was a feeble excuse, they both knew it. She was on her way to take a shower anyway and could have easily taken out the leaf herself. It was worth it though, he decided, as he'd felt his insides warm the moment his fingers touched her hair. Perhaps there'd been some truth to Bloom's claims afer all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story seems to be leading a life of its own. For now I'm happy to go wherever it takes me. Even if it means it's perhaps a bit all over the place...
> 
> If you enjoy reading this half as much as I enjoyed writing it though, my work is done. Let me know what you think! I'm always open to suggestions 😊

Her prediction the fight between her and headmaster Silva would be the talk of the week had, in retrospect, been a little optimistic. By that afternoon, Farah hadn't been able to go anywhere without at least a dozen pairs of eyes following her in awe, leaving bouts of amazed whispering in her wake wherever she went. She'd pretended not to notice, still convinced the commotion would die down in a day or two. Oh how wrong she she'd been. By the third day, the first memes had been posted on Instagram. Farah couldn't help but laugh at this. As if they didn't know about the highly "secret" accounts dedicated to making fun of the school and its teachers. By the sixth day a new expression had arisen amongst the students. Apparently making an unexpected or uncharacteristic move was now called 'pulling a Dowling', how unimaginative. The real Dowling merely rolled her eyes when Ben and Saul adopted this expression in an attempt to rile her up. They had both been insufferable throughout the week, she wasn't about to give them the added satisfaction of drawing out a reaction. Surprisingly, was only on the eighth day, that the first student had mustered enough courage to ask her about it, albeit indirectly. A first year no less.

"Miss, why aren't we learning to fight? With swords I mean, not just with magic." 

The boy had asked rather out of the blue, after his assignment had exploded. Perhaps the question was an attempt to distract her from the disaster that was his project or maybe he'd thought he was in trouble anyway. Busying herself with getting rid of the smoke first, she was rather glad the task at hand bought her some time to decide how to answer this question. 

"Because, fortunately, Mr Jensen, there has been little need for you to learn how to fight 'with swords'" she replied after a minute or so, lightly emphasising the young fairy's own turn of phrase. 

"Why did you learn to fight then?" 

The girl next to him continued his line of questioning, not sensing or perhaps simply ignoring the finality that had sounded through her words. Farah sighed, once again reminded that most of the students - while having heard of the war - were blissfully unaware of the horrific details of it. Not that she could blame them. After it had all ended, those in power had wanted to sweep the more controversial facts of the war under the rug. As had she, she reminded herself. She still preferred not to talk about it. Not after what happened with Aster Dell. With rosalind. She was too ashamed of what they'd done. Yet the fact of the matter remained that one day soon, these students would have to fight - like she'd had to fight - and they needed to know what was coming. No matter how unpleasant the truth.

""You've all been told about the war." She started in a grave voice. "When I was at school, Alfea had one purpose and one purpose only: to produce soldiers. As a fairy you learn to rely on your power, but even that power has it's limits. Exhaustion, injury, they may limit or even temporarily block your magic." A sharp intake of breath was heard at this information. 

"And when that happens, there's only one thing left... " 

The class was completely silent as she paused. She could sense she had their undivided attention now. 

"Adrenaline." 

Judging from the faces in front of her, this wasn't the answer they were expecting.

"Adrenaline will keep you going, push your body beyond its limits. You can run on a broken leg, block a knife with your bare hands. When you're facing mortal danger, there's only one thing that matters: Survival. The pain comes later. 

The eyes in front of her were wide as dimes. A pained expression formed on Musa's face in particular, obviously sensing her teacher was actually speaking from personal experience. 

"If such a situation should ever arise, knowing the basics of combat can effectively safe your life or that of your partner." 

She concludes, omitting the fact that she herself had learned way more than the basics, since that required an explanation of a rather difficult nature. One she'd rather not share, since it had everything to do with her training partner. Even when she was younger, she was aware she had enjoyed practicing with Saul way more than she should've. At times she'd even been afraid Rosalind would be able to tell just by looking at them, knowing full well her mentor would disprove. Though she had never mentioned it, Farah still wasn't convinced Rosalind hadn't known. The older fairy might have been content with the knowledge that nothing had ever come of it. In fact, Farah and Saul had never even discussed the topic. Though there had certainly been a time when she believed her friendship with Saul might develop into something more. Of course, the war had changed everything. It wasn't just inconvenient to be romantically involved in their position, it was outright dangerous. Love not only meant distraction, it meant ammunition, to be used against either one of them. By the end of it, they'd fallen into this comfortable companionship she hadn't had the courage to risk. And yet... Not for the first time that week, she thought back to his hand coming up to her head, taking the leaf from her tangled hair. The way his breath had hitched, the delicious tingles she'd felt running down from the base of her neck to her back...

"So why aren't we learning to fight? Now that the burned ones have returned." 

She was pulled back to the present by Terra, who seemed to have completely forgotten the pains she'd taken this past week and a half to get back into in the headmistress's good graces.

"I will talk this over with headmaster Silva, but that is the last thing I'll say about the matter for the time being. Now back to your assignments." 

The first year students knew her well enough by now not to press any further. Grateful for this small mercy, she turned her attention back to the objective of today's lesson. Only too happy to leave the subject of the war behind her once more. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that day, when the three of them were alone in the staff room, she brought up the subject with her colleagues. 

"So what do you think? Should we start teaching the fairies some basic defensive moves?" 

She'd been distracted during the remainder of her lessons, mulling the idea over in her head, weighing out the pros and cons. 

"I guess it can't exactly hurt. If there are more burned one's out there, our students will need all the skills they can get. If not, they might learn some useful footwork in the process." 

Saul answered after a few pensive seconds. He'd seen the positive effects such a training had had on the way Farah wielded her magic in a fight. Her movements more precise, her reflexes improved, maximising the effectiveness of both offense and defense.

"It might also help some of the more shy fairies feel empowered." 

Ben weighed in, remembering his own experience with fighting, before adding in a much lighter tone: 

"If the empowering effects of your victory over Saul is anything to go by." 

The two men exchanged a glance, bursting out into fits of laughter. 

"Really, I don't know why you should enjoy this so much." She looks pointedly at Saul, trying to turn the tables back to him. "Need I remind you of your rather muddy defeat in front of your specialists? If that wasn't a walk of shame, I don't know what is." 

Much to her disappointment, he merely chuckles at this. 

"Funny you should bring that up. My defeat doesn't actually seem to have affected the student's opinion of my fighting skills in the slightest. Rather, it just seems to have convinced them you are some kind of invincable godess of battle." He answers in an irritatingly cheerful voice. "Their words, not mine." He quickly adds when he sees the death stare she gives him at the mention of this title. "Which is true of course-" Farah lets out a huff at this.

"But that doesn't make it less funny." She smacks him over the head in an attempt to wipe the smile off his face. The move earns her a playful jab against her upperarm.

"Amen" 

Ben raises his glass and downs the rest of his tea before announcing he'd best be off. Wisely leaving his friends to it. Whatever it may be. 

"Do you have a death wish?" 

Farah asks dryly, after Ben has made himself scarce. She punctuates the question with yet another glare. Sometimes, the man can be insufferable.

"No, not particularly. I do have a wish for you to retaliate again though." 

He quips, their earlier interactions making him cocky. The moment the comment leaves his lips, he's afraid he's made a mistake. Teasing is all very well, flirting is a different matter all together. Still, he's not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed when she lets out a laugh, making it clear she thinks it's simply another joke. Not for the first time Saul was grateful for the fact that - on top of her extensive abilities - Farah had never really mastered the skill of sensing emotions or he certainly would've been in trouble. 

"Can we be serious for a moment?" She asks when they're both finished laughing. 

"If we are indeed agreed we should start teaching the fairies basic defense movements, we have some planning to do" 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the end they agree to teach these classes together, with the help of a few selected specialists. Although light of recent events, they'd decided early on it would be better if Farah didn't do any fighting herself, especially since things had finally quieted down. Instead, Saul has taken it upon himself to demonstrate the moves with Sky there to help him. 

"It all comes down to the right moves at the right time." Sky is telling the fairies of the winx suite once they start practicing. "It's actually why I think Dowling's was able to beat Silva. She's good of course - way better than any of us could have imagined - but Silva's clearly better trained." 

"So how did she beat him?" Bloom asked eagerly. This was the first time Sky had mentioned any of this. 

"I haven't told anyone...." It is obvious he's unsure whether to actually share the information with the fairies. 

"What if we promise it won't go any further?" Bloom interjected, her curiosity getting the better of her. 

"Silva got distracted." Having always had a a difficult time refusing the fire fairy, Sky relented. "Only for a second or so, but Dowling clearly noticed and acted fast. Timing's everything in a fight. I wonder what distracted Silva though, he's usually pretty focussed. 

"Well, we all know what's thrown Silva off his game now don't we girls?" 

Stella was all too happy to continue that particular discussion. Even more so when she saw Sky's confused face. 

"According to Musa, Silva's smitten with Dowling. Now imagine all that pent up tension..." She would've continued weren't it for Aisha rather forcefully interrupting her.

"I thought we agreed it was none of our business." 

"I hate to break it to you girls, but there's nothing going on between the two of them. They've known each other for ages, if anything was going to happen, it would've already happened a long time ago." 

The specialist reasoned, though he felt a little funny as he was suddenly reminded of the fact that his younger self had secretly hoped for the two to get together. Miss Dowling was basically the only female influence in his life, as such - with the logic of a seven year old - Sky had decided therefore Silva and Dowling must be together. Like a proper mum and dad, he'd thought to himself at that age. Fortunately, he'd grown out of this belief before he'd had mustered the courage to try and actually do anything about it. Now that would've have been embarrassing.

"You know, I've always thought they'd be pretty cute together. And remember, there was war going on, which might very well explain why nothing has come of it. " Terra argued, not satisfied with Sky's dismissal of the possibility of a romance emerging between the headmistress and headmaster of Alfea.

"Sixteen years ago, Terra. Sixteen years ago. That should've given them plenty of time, don't you think?" Ever the goody two shoes, Aisha took the opportunity to put a stop to this discussion. She had in fact paid attention to the interactions between the pair and had come to the conclusion that if there were any feelings involved on the headmaster's part, they were unrequited. And definitely none of their business. 

"Alright, alright I was just exploring all the possible aspects." Terra raised her hands up defensively. She wasn't the one that started it. 

"No worries Terra." Sky playfully bumped a fist against her shoulder in order to difuse the jittery energy that was building up inside the earth fairy. "Don't let Silva hear you called him cute though." 

They all laughed at Sky's dry comment. The specialist himself joined them, ignoring the disappointment settling in his stomach. He might have let go of his wish for Silva and Dowling to become involved, he still hoped his father figure might find happiness with someone some day. 

"When I asked you to help out, I didn't mean spend the entire time chatting with the first years. " 

Headmaster Silva's voice had an immediate effect on the group as they hastily turned to face the topic of their conversation, their smiles slipping of their faces I the process. 

"I'm sorry headmaster Silva, it won't happen again. " 

Sky felt his back straighten under his teacher's gaze. Seeming satisfied with this response, Silva picked up the discarded sticks and in unbelievably quick succession threw them at the girls. Both Musa and Aisha caught theirs with ease. Terra caught it with decidedly less ease, having to bounce it a couple of times before she managed to get a good grip. Bloom caught hers but dropped it again whereas Stella didn't even take her hands out of her pockets. Saul sighed inwardly. They had a long way to go. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I've come up with a plan." 

Riven was drawing lazily patterns across Beatrix's bare back.

"No."

Beatrix bluntly cut him off before he could continue explaining. 

"You don't even know what I was going to say." He said indignantly, pulling the sheets towards himself in revenge. 

"But I do. You've come up with yet another plan to do with Dowling's hair. It's all you've been talking about lately. Why don't you just invite her to join us next time. " 

Sarcasm was dripping from Beatrix's voice as she reclaimed her side of the sheets. However, her attempt to put the idea out of his head obviously failed as a wicked smile slowly formed on Riven's face. 

"I wouldn't be against some girl on a girl action, babe." 

The comment earned him an exasperated sigh as well as the loss of the remaining bedding. It was well worth it though. Besides, he was only half joking. 

"There are no words to describe  
just how inappropriate that is." 

While Beatrix could appreciate Dowling's beauty from an objective point of view, she was also their teacher. A rather important little fact, which Riven of course wilfully chose to ignore. 

"Alright, alright, I'll take it back." Riven turned on his side, snuggling against her.  
"Hear me out though, what if - " Apparently Riven was adamant he wanted to share his plan with her.

"No." She repeated in a bored voice, knowing all too well it wouldn't actually stop him from going ahead and sharing it anyway. 

"You haven't even heard my plan!" 

Beatrix had to hold back a laugh, he sounded like a petulant child. A spoiled little man child. If it wasn't for the fact he might still prove useful to her, she would have ditched him ages ago. 

"I don't need to know your plan to know it's stupid. It's not going to work, Riven. And even if it did, you'd be in so much trouble with Dowling. Not to mention Silva's going to be livid." She added the last bit as an afterthought. 

"What's got old man Silva to do with anything." 

This time Beatrix couldn't help but smirk. Riven really was an idiot. She'd known that already of course, it had been part of the reason she'd hooked up with him in the first place. Still, it was nice for her instincts to be so irrefutably confirmed. 

"Are you really that oblivious Riven? A blind toddler could see how he looks at the headmistress. " 

You didn't have to be a mind fairy to recognise the longing in the headmaster's gaze. It was pathetic really, he was a grown man. In Beatrix's humble opinion, he should either grow a pair and ask her out or stop pinning.

"You're saying Dowling and Silva got a thing?" 

Beatrix had to muster all her patience not to leave right there and then when Riven still didn't get the memo. Although considering the joint they'd smoked before falling into bed, the specialist's inability to immediately catch on should come as no surprise

"I'm saying he'd certainly like to." She emphasised. 

It was as if a light switched on when the meaning of her words finally dawned on him. 

"That explains so much!" He exclaimed enthusiastically. "Like why he didn't seem to care about losing the fight the other week. He actually liked it!" Riven was beyond excited now. 

"Do you think he has some sort of weird kink?" 

After a few moments of blissful silence he brought up the subject again. This was not happening Beatrix decided. The last thing she wanted was to discuss Silva's supposed kinks. Unfortunately, Riven had other ideas.

"Sweet move pulling her down in the mud with him, I might try that one myself some day. " 

That was it, she was off. However, just before she was out the door she turned around. 

"Do we need to have the talk again?"

And with that the door behind her with a thud.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm enjoying this way too much! There's definitely going to be at least one more chapter after this. 
> 
> I'd love to hear your thoughts/requests/suggestions 😊

Riven was the first to admit he wasn't a tactical mastermind. He was a foot soldier; he did as he was told. And did it well, he might add. As such, he knew realistically he should've listened to Beatrix and put the whole scheme out of his head. Yet, despite the warning bells resonating in his ears, even despite Beatrix telling him it was the worst idea anyone had ever had, he just couldn't help himself. It was like a seed had been planted in his head. Every time he decided to leave matters alone, his thoughts were drawn back to it like it was some kind of drug. Naturally, the knowledge it was forbidden only served to make him want it more. Which was why his plans were becoming more and more radical as time went on. At one moment - in retrospect not exactly his brightest moment - he had even entertained the notion of making a batch of special brownies himself and leaving them in the staff room on a Friday night when he knew the three teachers would be sharing a drink. Surely if they were all high he should be able to sneak in and have a feel? He had rather quickly decided against this idea though, not only because Dowling and Silva would know better than to eat some mysterious brownies - professor Harvey might be a different case - but also because he realised it would most certainly provide grounds for expulsion. Regardless of what Beatrix might believe, he wasn't a compete moron. He was, however, struggling to come up with any plan that didn't at the very least lead to detention. Which was in fact how he had decided on his current strategy: no strategy. He was rather proud of this one to be honest. He'd still be in trouble of course, he wasn't delusional, but he reasoned it would be relatively little trouble if only it seemed like a spontaneous, impulsive act. He'd just have to wait patiently until the right moment. 

Fortunately for him, he didn't have to wait long for the opportunity to present itself. In fact, he couldn't have come up with a better scenario if he'd planned it himself. Nearly dinner time, he and Dane were making their way to the cafetaria after a particularly intense training when the door of Dowling's classroom opened and the woman herself stepped out only a couple of steps ahead of them. Apart from the three of them he hallway was deserted. Within a split second, Riven made his decision: it was now or never. 

"Miss Dowling?" 

Riven made sure his voice went up at the end of her name, making it seem like he had a question. She spun on her heels, wearing the trademark no nonsense expression on her face. 

"Yes Riven?" 

Dane's brows furrowed as he watched his friend take another step towards the headmistress even though she was already standing pretty close. 

"First of all, I would like to sincerely apologise upfront." 

Giving her no time to process the meaning of these words, he swiftly brought his hand up past her face and into her hair. Though Dane's eyes had widened already at Riven's movement, they widened even more when he spotted the figure coming around the corner. 

Farah herself was completely dumbstruck, unable to do anything but take in the face in front of her on which a dreamy expression was forming. It was as if someone had severed the connection between her brain and het limbs, leaving het frozen on the spot. Riven, on the other hand, felt a blissful peace washing over him. However before he could properly savour the feeling, he felt a hand on his shoulder pulling him away from the fairy. His earlier sense of victory was instantly replaced by horror upon seeing the face of his teacher. 

"Headmadster Silva." 

He stammered, knowing full well this was beyond bad. Ever since Beatrix had mentioned Silva's feelings for the headmistress, Riven had determined if he wanted to stand any chance at dodging more severe repercussions, it was absolutely imperative Silva wasn't there when made his move. He had calculated that Dowling would probably have dealt with the matter herself, either forgoing to tell the headmaster at all or only mentioning it after the fact. Either way, judging by the furious look on Silva's face, he wouldn't have been in nearly as much trouble as he was now. 

""What the he'll do you think you're doing?!" 

Silva had positioned himself strategically between him and the headmistress, forcing him to step back. 

"Both of you in my office now!" 

Riven hung his head in surrender. Dane, on the other hand, want about to give up so easily. 

"But I didn't do anything!" 

He protested, miffed at the prospect of being punished for something he didn't do. 

"Exactly my point. Now move! I'll be with you shortly. " 

It would have taken a student much braver than Riven and Dane combined to still protest after hearing the fury in Silva's voice. 

"You know I could've easily handled it myself." 

Farah huffed, drawing herself up to full height once the students were out of sight. He of all people should know she didn't need some knight in shining armour to rescue her.

"Oh I know, believe me I know."

Her stance softened at once upon hearing his tone. If course, he knew. He had more than sufficient experience with her abilities to handle any situation both on and off the battlefield. If anyone didn't need assistance, it was her.

"But he's my student." Saul explained, his voice much more serious now. 

"And he should know better." Riven had always been one to get into sticky situations. He was a gifted fighter, but he was also impulsive and too sensitive to his peers' opinions of him. Which meant during trainings he'd developed into a bit of a class clown at best and a bully at worst. Still, Saul never imagined having to pull him away from touching the headmistress's hair.

"And Dane?" 

Farah inquired, suddenly remembering the other specialist. 

"Dane's going to get a valuable lesson in loyalty. If you see your friend's doing something that's going to get them into trouble, you don't just stand there." 

They exchanged a knowing look, both reminded of the fact that during their school years Farah, at times assisted by Ben, had prevented Saul from doing stupid things - such as openly questioning Rosalind - on multiple occasions. Saul dropped his gaze after a few seconds, smoothly bending down when he noticed one of her hair pins had come undone and fallen on the ground. 

"This yours?" 

Once he'd risen again, he held the object up for her to see. She didn't answer, but made a move to take it out of his hands, when her fingers accidently brushed his. Her movements stilled at the contact, it was electrifying. She inhaled audibly when neither of them pulled away. 

"See! I told you so!" 

The pair sprung apart to find the fairies of the winx suite looking at them with interest. 

"I have to go, Riven and Dane should still be waiting.." 

Saul muttered, his hand coming up to his neck in an awkward gesture, before marching in the direction of his office. 

"Don't you girls have somewhere to be?" 

Farah asked, grateful her voice sounded much more calm than she felt. Not waiting for an answer, she turned around opening the first door she passed, which happened to lead to her classroom. Great, now she'd have to wait a while before showing her face at dinner. 

"Well done Stella." 

With her senses still wide open, she could easily identify the sarcasm in Musa's voice from her side of the door. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Farah and Saul walked in silence towards the training field, where the seconds year fairies were already waiting for them. 

"You haven't told me what gruelling punishment you came up with for Riven yesterday."

At last Farah spoke up in attempt to deflect some of the awkward tension that had resulted from yesterday's events. 

"He's on greenhouse duty for the rest of the semester." 

Farah looked at him in surprise. Greenhouse duty seemed pretty mellow after having witnessed his display of anger yesterday. 

"You know Riven's not exactly been in Ben's good graces after what happened with Terra..." He let the sentence hang in the air. "And believe me, after  
I told him what happened yesterday, I'm sure Ben will task Riven with the more disgusting aspects of running a greenhouse filled with magical plants." 

Saul smirked wickedly at this thought. It would serve Riven right. Farah rolled her eyes at the satisfaction Saul appeared to get out of this prospect. Personally she felt the incident was being somewat exaggerated. Yes, Riven's behaviour had been out of line, but she thought the whole thing had been more or less harmless. Undoubtedly spurred on by Bloom's wild imagination and his own youthful curiosity. Naturally, Ben and Saul - being unnecessarily protective of her - were blowing the whole thing out of proportion. She knew they meant well of course, but ever since a few years back one of her students had developed a serious crush on her and taken it a step too far, both men had been overly cautious in her opinion. There was no time for her to voice that opinion however, seeing as they'd arrived at the training field. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Unable to sleep that night, Saul got up or of bed, walking to the kitchen to make some tea. He'd been distracted lately. Ever since the incident with the brownies something seemed to have changed between him and Farah. He had resigned himself a long time ago to the fact anything that might have happened between him and Farah had long since passed. And yet... He could have sworn she'd felt something too at the touch of their hands. 

"Shit!" 

He hissed when the piping hot water sloshed over the brim of his cup and directly onto his hand. His skin turning red immediately, he could already tell it was going to be a rather nasty burn. Normally he would've just asked Ben to for one of his ointments, weren't it for the fact it was breaky 2 o'clock. Ben would be fast asleep by now. At the stinging sensation of his skin, he resolved to go to the greenhouse and get some dragonsbeard himself. That should take care of the worst of it. 

Saul smiled when he entered the greenhouse and his eyes fell on the sleeping earth fairy. Judging by the display in front of her, Terra must have been working on some sort of potion before falling asleep with her head on the table. Saul resolved to wake her up later - sleeping in this position could hardly be restful - but first he wanted to get the leaves he'd come for. The greenhouse was large and difficult to navigate in the dark, being filled with all sorts of magical and non-magical plants, from the tiniest potted plants to large trees. He was glad he still remembered more or less where he needed to go to find the particular plant he was looking for, otherwise he might have had to spend hours searching for it. Just as he reached his destination and was about cut off some soothing leaves, he heard a faint crash in the distance. His head snapped up in alarm. Perhaps Terra had woken up? He dismissed the thought immediately. Having practically grown up in the greenhouse, Terra could move through the terrain blindfolded. She certainly wouldn't have walked into anything. 

Meanwhile on the other side of the green house Terra startled awake at the same sound. For a few seconds she was disoriented having woken up in a place other than her bed. Once she regained her senses she immediately was on high alert. Someone else was in the greenhouse. Possibly a student trying to get their hands on some of the more controversial plants that grew there. Careful not to make a sound, she tiptoed in the general direction of the sound, gearing herself up to tell off anyone who'd dared to enter her father's domain. 

Saul's senses had heightened at the noise. His years as soldier had trained him to pick up even the slightest sound. Alarmed at the faint footsteps creeping toward him, he instinctively took a few steps back. Rounding a corner in order to be able to surprise the intruder, when suddenly his back collided with a moving object. Fast as lightning he spun around His face was only just about to relax when he recognised the face in front of him, when he noticed her expression changing from surprise to utter horror.

Having heard something around the corner, Terra's magic seemed to act on its own accord. She felt the vines springing to life at the rush of adrenaline entering her bloodstream, instinctively binding the two dark figures together. She heard a gasp as the two - unable to counterbalance when the tendrils intertwined their legs - toppled and fell to the ground with a loud thud, knocking the air out of the lungs of whomever ended up at the bottom. 

"I'm warning you..." 

Despite having effectively bound the tresspassers, Terra's voice sounded panicky. 

"What in the name of sanity is going on here?" 

Suddenly the light turned on as Ben - having been woken by the commotion - made his way through the overgrown path. 

Terra's heart seemed to stop when the display on front of her was finally revealed. On the ground, with their limbs entangled, lay the headmaster with the headmistress on top of him. 

"Perhaps you'd like to free us now, Terra." 

Dowling said, her voice strained by the tight tendrils pressing her body against Silva's muscular form. She tried to move slightly to find a more comfortable position, but stopped wriggling immediately as she heard Saul's groan and felt a certain part of his anatomy spring to life. Though his pupils were dilated, he looked absolutely mortified. 

"Preferably today." 

Farah punctuated when the going fairy didn't move. 

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I thought..." 

Terra stopped rambling and finally removed severed the vines when she saw her teacher's pointed stare. 

"Thank you." 

Farah tried and failed to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. In her defense, this week had been trying even by her standards. 

"Now might I ask what you are all doing here?" 

Ben asked sternly, and for a moment both Saul and Farah felt like they were students again. Ben - though usually soft natured - could be rather territorial over his green house and the plants in it. 

"Dragonsbeard." 

"Valerian"

They said at the same time, Saul holding up his hand to show the angry red skin. 

"And you?" 

Terra had kept quiet in an attempt to second drawing any more attention to herself. 

"I fell asleep while working on my end of term project..." 

She hung her head, to show she was sorry for the trouble she'd caused. In reality, she wasn't entirely sure whether to feel embarrassed at letting suspicion getting the better of her or just a little amused at the sight of Dowling and Silva slightly cowering under her father's gaze. 

"And who dropped the Alocasia?" 

Although his voice was strict, Terra could tell by the twinkle in his eyes het father was enjoying this moment too. 

"That would be me. " 

Farah confessed while at the same time the broken flower pot put itself together at a flick of her hand. 

"Better. Now I suggest I'll get you your plants, so we can all go to bed."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

"I just wanted to say..." 

He started as they walked back to the school together, seeming unable to find the words to finish his sentence. Knowing full well what he was referring to, Farah took pity on him. 

"Don't worry about it. I know how these things work. What with friction and all..." she said lightly. "Good night " 

She was gone before he could protest, being fully aware it hadn't been so much the friction as the proximity to her that had affected him so much.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was fully intending this to be the last chapter, but I got carried away. Again. All will be resolved eventually, I promise. I don't want to leave you hanging, so there's definitely going to be at least one more chapter (and perhaps more). 
> 
> As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts 💕

"What's up with her?" 

Bloom asked after Aisha had stormed into their room, grabbed her swimming stuff and stormed out again, storm clouds gathering on her face. 

"From what I gather her and Stella's end of term project is far from running smoothly." 

Terra supplied, while she picked up a pipette to drop a barely there amount of liquid into the vial. The content immediately turned from light purple to a deep red. Satisfied at the results she repeated the action in second vial. 

"I think this is it. Should we... Should we test it out?" 

She asked her partner rather nervously. She and Bloom had been paired up by miss Dowling and so far their project had gone swimmingly. Pun intended.

"I guess... How else do we know if it works? Best lock the door though. " 

The potion they'd developed was meant to make the drinker confess their love. The brew had actually been inspired by witnessing their teachers dancing around each other like a pair of shy teenagers the past few weeks. Not that they were going to tell anyone. Especially not with Riven serving as a living reminder of what might happen if you angered either headmistress or headmaster. Or both. Every day since his ill judgment, he had emerged from the greenhouse covered in dirt, mud or some other kind of gooey substance. 

"Wait! What if we don't have any love to confess?" 

So far Terra had been beyond excited about their project. Right now, not so much...

"Well, then we'll just have to find someone else to test it on, won't we?" 

Bloom was more relaxed about the task at hand. It was just the two of them, they'd timelocked the door to prevent themselves from actually confessing any feelings in front of the people they loved. What could go wrong?

"Bottoms up?" 

The two girls raised their respective vial and downed the liquid in one swig. The effect was immediate, having Bloom ractically run towards the door. 

"Sky! I need to find Sky!" 

Terra took another approach, speeding to the window to start her ode to mother nature, passionately describing her favourite plans and flowers. They had calculated the effects of the concoction would last about five maybe ten minutes, the entirety of which ended up being filled with poetic descriptions of their love. After the effect had finally worn off, Terra was overwhelmed with relief to find the window had actually been closed or this would surely have turned into a definite public humiliation. 

"Can we agree never to speak of this again?" 

Terra almost stumbled over her words, eager to leave the experience behind her.  
Bloom nodded eagerly, the evidence of her own embarrassment turning her cheeks red. 

"It worked though!" 

The realisation quickly turned their shame into excitement. Tomorrow they'd have to present their project in class. Normally Terra would dread such an occasion, but this time she actually felt something akin to pride at their achievement. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

When Farah entered het classroom, the first year students were already sitting at their tables. The faces on front of her showed an interesting mixture of different emotions; excited, confident, frustrated, worried. End of term projects and presentations were always a source of both unexpected briliancy and crippling anxiety. Even more so amongst the first years. While some pupils turned out to be naturals at public speaking, most ended up resembling a bunch of deer in headlights. Throughout the years, she'd gotten used to having to remind students to breath during their presentation. However even after all these years, she couldn't help feeling particularly bad for those who were trembling uncontrollably or who developed red blotches that gradually spread out as their presentation continued. 

"Bloom, Terra, perhaps you could start." 

She deliberately picked two of the students who seemed more or less sure of themselves, mostly to give the more anxious fairies some time to relax. It turned out to be a good call, seeing as neither burst into tears or passed out during the presentation. In fact , they were looking rather pleased by the end of it. 

"First of all, I'd like to compliment you in the magic and techniques you have used in order to develop this potion. Very impressive." 

Farah always tried to start on a positive note while giving feedback, no matter how disastrous the project turned out to be. In this case it was easy to find aspects to compliment. It was indeed impressive how two first years had managed to develop such a complex potion.

"However, I'm afraid you have failed to take into account the ethical issues here. Once could argue this potion classifies as a truth serums and, as some of you may know, truth serums are rather murky territory. 

She felt sorry to be bursting their bubble when she noticed the the initial pride give way to disappointment.

"But we only wanted to help people." Bloom protested weakly.

"I don't doubt your intentions Bloom, but whether we admit our feelings or not should ultimately be a choice. People might have their reasons for hiding their true feelings." 

Thinking of her own complex relationship with Saul, she was sure a declaration of love would do more harm than good at least when it came to unrequited love. Possibly even destroying years of friendship. 

"Or am I mistaken you yourselves wouldn't want to demonstrate your potion in front of your classmates?" 

She added, shifting her focus from her own thoughts on the topic to the young fairies before her. 

"No, we really rather not." 

Reminded of last night's experiment, Terra quickly relented, even though it meant putting a stop to any discussion they might have had about the potion's potential for good. Both girls were silently grateful for the distraction when, a few moments later, Stella and Aisha's modified weather spell went horribly wrong and the whole class had to temorarily leave the premises to avoid getting soaking wet. When the storm clouds finally disappeared, the presentations could be resumed, albeit to varying degrees of success. 

"Bloom, Terra, could you stay for a minute." 

Miss Dowling called out their names after dismissing the class. 

"I meant what I said, I'm impressed by your accomplishment. However, all things considered, I think it best if you leave that here." 

She looked pointedly at the vial in Terra's hand and the earth fairy handed it over without objection. Before exiting the classroom, they looked back to see Dowling emptying the vial, the red liquid disappearing before it could even hit the ground. 

\-------

"I don't understand what went wrong. It worked perfectly well when we tried it before." 

A devious smile started to tug on Beatrix's lips when she heard Stella's complaint. The spell would have indeed worked perfectly well, if it hadn't been for the slightest interference on her part. Which ended up throwing off the entire balance of the spell. Normally she wouldn't have bothered messing with other people's projects - she wasn't that petty -but she needed a diversion and the opportunity presented itself. Her interest had been peaked by the love potion Terra and Bloom made. As she was becoming someway familiar with Dowling's methods, she realised the concoction would never be allowed to leave the classroom. She grinned as she fondled the glass vial in her pocket. Of course Dowling hadn't counted on anyone duplicating the potion amidst the chaos caused by the rogue weather spell. 

"Boys, I've got something to show you." 

The specialists came running like two loyal puppy dogs. She'd trained them well, she thought to herself with satisfaction. 

"This" She held up the vial. "is a love potion, created by Terra and Bloom. It forces the drinker confess their deepest love." She clarified, her eyes twinkling in wicked delight. "Now tell me, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" 

She could tell Dane - stupid gullible Dane - had no idea what she was taking about. Still, desperate as he was to please, he nodded eagerly. Riven, on the other hand, wasn't so easily persuaded.

"Bea, you know how much trouble I'm in already. Besides you were the one who kept telling me it was a stupid idea to mess with Dowling" 

To her considerable annoyance, he drew a comparison between her carefully calculated plan and his own senseless, idiotic behaviour.

"The difference being that I'll make sure we won't get caught." 

If anyone was going to be in trouble, it would be Terra and Bloom. After all, it was their potion. Of course, she'd failed to mention that the real difference was that she wasn't doing it for the mere thrill of it. No, when she'd heard about the potion, she'd realised it would create the perfect diversion, especially if the effects of the mixture was magically amplified to last just a little while longer. While Dowling was busy keeping her love sick colleague at bay, Beatrix would have time to sneak into her office and take another look at the hidden passage for a few minutes. 

"I'm sorry, but you're on your own this time." 

Although Beatrix was seething on the inside, she was careful not to let it show. Instead she put on a condescending smile. 

"Chicken." 

At least it was enough to convince Dane to throw caution in the wind and offer his assistance, despite still being in dark about what he'd just agreed to. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Beatrix decided she wanted to act fast, slipping the potion into Silva's drink during dinner that night. Dane would provide the distraction and Beatrix would make sure the contents ook the vial would be emptied into Silva's cup. 

"Headmaster Silva, do you have a moment?" 

Dane walked up to the teachers' table armed with a bullshit story about being worried about exams. He willed himself not to look past Silva's head to the vial that hovered towards the headmaster's drink on its own accord. When the deed was done he quickly thanked his teacher before excusing imself. 

"Beatrix?" 

He asked confused, as he arrived aft the table where he'd left her, finding it empty. 

"What was all that about" 

Farah enquired after the young specialist was it of earshot. She prided herself on being pretty good at spotting dishonesty, a skill that had definitely benefited from years of teaching. 

"I don't know, perhaps he's trying to score brownie points before the exams? He didn't exactly make the best first impression..." 

Apparently Saul had also noticed something was off. He didn't seem especially worried about it though, raising his shoulders at her doubtful expression before taking a sip of his drink. Then, without the slightest bit of warning he got up from his chair, dropped to his knees and took her hand in his. 

"Farah, I have loved you since I've set eyes on you." He exclaimed loudly.

The student body seemed to move as one, all faces suddenly turning into their direction. A few knives and forks were dropped, but nobody moved to pick them up. Too engrossed in the scene unfolding before them. Farah's heart skipped a beat, before dropping in apprehension. Saul would never make such a statement, let alone publicly. On top of that, given the potion that had been presented earlier today, the timing was highly suspicious.

"I think you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my entire life. Your intelligence surpasses even that of..." 

Farah shifted her focus from the rambling man in front of her to the cup from which he'd been drinking. With a wave of het hand the water lights up, showing trace elements of a magical substance. 

"Terra! Bloom!"

She bellowed, standing up while at the same time trying to free her hand from Saul's grip. The two fairies jumped up at the mention of their names, cowering under the scrutinizing look of their headmistress.

"What is the meaning of this?" 

Farah gestured furiously at the still glowing cup. She could see realisation dawn on Terra's startled face. 

"It wasn't us Miss Dowling, I swear. We wouldn't have, especially after what you said in class. We wouldn't..." 

Terra looked ad if she might start crying at any moment. 

"I believe you. However, someone clearly-" 

She was interrupted when Saul ceased his string of compliments and started singing instead. 

""Why do birds suddenly appear..." 

Temporarily distracted, she turned to face Saul, who was unwittingly making a complete fool of himself.

"Will someone please escort headmaster Silva to the staff room?" 

She asked exasperatedly when the headmaster made a move to kiss the back of her hand between lyrics. Riven immediately jumped up at the chance to ingratiate himself with the headmistress after making such a mess of it earlier. Soon it became clear he was going to need some assistance though, as the headmaster refused to move away from the subject of his serenade. 

"Just like me/ they long to be/ close to you!" 

Still singing, he eventually was eventually led away rather forcefully by Riven and Sky.

"Mr Silva had been the victim of a particularly nasty prank." 

Farah addressed the dumbfounded student body in a attempt to salvage at least some of Saul's dignity. 

"Someone put an obviously..." She paused for a second. "Defective love potion into his drink." 

Her eyes moved past the students, as if to calculate their guilt. 

"I advise the responsible party or parties to speak up now. Because make no mistake, I am not above using other measures to find the culprit in a case as severe as this." 

She stilled for a moment when her gaze fell upon Beatrix, who'd slipped in only seconds before. Realising exactly who Dowling was looking at, Dane slowly raised his hand. 

"It was me." 

It was an impulsive move he regretted instantly when suddenly he found himself to be the sole focus of Dowling's fury.

"Alone?" 

She asked sharply, almost throwing him off. Resisting the urge to glance aft the fairy next to him, he simply nodded. He wasn't a tattle tale. It was clear to him she wasn't really buying it, but unwilling to spend any more time the subject at present she dropped it.

"I will deal with you later. Now everyone back to their food!" 

Reluctantly the students picked up their cutlery again and turned to their forgotten dinners. All but one. Bloom was positively radiating with defiance. Without a word she got up and walked toward the headmistress with deliberate strides. 

"Bloom"

Terra hissed, not wanting to attract any attention. Nevertheless when she got no answer, she hurried after her friend against her better judgement. 

"What do you mean 'defective'? Our potion worked!" 

Terra sighed, Bloom literally had no filter and apparently no sense of self preservation.

"Calm yourself please." 

Having known Dowling since she'd been young, Terra spotted all the tell tale signs that her patience was wearing seriously thin. 

"But you saw it. It worked." 

To her credit, Bloom continued in a much softer voice. Though she was clearly not ready to drop the matter entirely. 

"I have to disappoint you girls. Headmaster Silva and myself have been friends for years, I assure you he doesn't harbour any hidden feelings for me." 

The last few words were interlaced with sarcasm as she briefly raised her hands in a casual gesture that belied the disappointment she suddenly felt. 

"I believe the most reasonable explanation would be that the effects of the potion you brewed are in fact not linked to actual feelings but rather to the first person the drinker sees." 

Terra could tell Bloom was about to counter, but judging by Dowling's facial expression her patience had officially run out.

"Come on Bloom, let's go. " 

Though visibly unhappy about it, Bloom did allow herself to be pulled away, knowing full well further arguments would be futile.

\--------------------

Back in their suite the girls gathered together, keen to discuss the events at supper. 

"I just don't understand, how can she deny what happened? Mr Silva serenaded her for goodness sake!" 

Stella proclaimed disbelievingly. Honestly, what more would it take? 

"I think my eardrums are permanently damaged." 

Musa commented dryly on the quality of the headmaster's singing, which had been way off key. 

"I just don't understand how someone can be so clever and so oblivious at the same time? I mean it literally couldn't be more obvious Silva is in love with her." 

Bloom asked, still both perplexed and slightly insulted by her teacher's refusal to accept the legitimacy of their potion

"Well it is entirely possible she just doesn't like him that way." 

Terra offered by way of explanation, though her voice sounded uncertain. 

"Do you even believe that yourself?" 

Receiving an incredulous look from Stella, she hastily surrendered. Partly because Stella still intimidated her quite a bit and partly because she actually didn't believe that. 

"I think they've just been friends for so long, it's hard to believe it might turn into something more. And also rather scary I guess." 

Always the voice of reason, Aisha decided to join the discussion. And even though so far she had been dead set against meddling with their teachers' private affairs, even she couldn't take this any longer. 

"Look usually I'm against interfering - and for the record making that potion in the first place was a terrible idea - but I think it's safe to say they obviously aren't going to be able to figure out this one on their own. "

The others nodded in agreement. It was time to undertake some action.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure yet wether this is going to to be the last chapter or whether to write one more. I sincerely hope it lives up to all of your expectations 😊
> 
> I'd love to hear your thoughts 💕

"I should really check up on Saul now." 

Farah informed Ben after his daughter and her friend had left the teachers' table in what only could be described as a huff of indignation. The potion Saul had unknowingly consumed was essentially an experiment, by a pair of first years no less. One could only guess what the side effects might be. 

"Do you want me to come with you?" 

Ben was like the older brother she never had. Quick to tease, even quicker to protect whenever he felt it was necessary. Which was in fact nearly all the time. 

"I'd rather you stay here, if you don't mind. I think the both of us have suffered enough humiliation as it is." 

She wasn't sure how long the potion's effects would last, but in case it hadn't worn off by now, she'd much prefer to have as little witnesses as possible. And while she loved Ben, she was also positive nothing short of an apocalypse would stop him from continuously bringing it up after everything eventually settled down. As it turned out, the potion was far from wearing off. 

"Farah!" 

Saul's expression upon laying eyes on her most resembled that of a kid in a candy store. In turn, Sky and Riven - who'd dutifully stayed with Silva the entire time - looked more than a little relieved to see her. She tried not to think about all the possible remarks of devotion Saul had proceeded to blurt out before her arrival. Still, despite their initial relief, both specialists seemed to hesitate when she dismissed them. 

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay?" 

Riven asked just as Saul dropped to his knees for the second time that evening, this time encircling her waist with his arms. Farah looked at Riven in mild surprise. Apparently he possessed some amount of chivalry after all. 

"Thank you for your concern Riven, but I will be fine." 

She was amazed she managed to sound more or less convincing while Saul was pressing his face against her abdomen. 

"My love! My goddess! You are the single most precious thing that has walked this earth." 

After one last reluctant glance at the headmistress, Riven followed Sky out of the staff room, closing the door behind him. 

"I would move mountains for you. I would go to the end of the earth for you. I would die for you!"

He continued tirelessly, merely tightening his grip when she tried to break free. 

"Just tell me what you want me to do, I'll do it!" He looked up at her in complete adoration.

"I would rather like for you to let go of me for a start." 

She muttered sarcastically. As soon as she said it he released her, pulling back his hands as quickly as if he'd burnt himself. He stood up, putting his forehead against hers.

"I dream of you each night. The things I would do to you, if only you'd let me." 

He whispered hoarsely, his breath ghosting over her lips. She couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through her body. He was leaning in to kiss her, slowly, giving her ample time to pull away. Even intoxicated by the magic in the potion he was still a gentleman. Momentarily overwhelmed by temptation - and completely against her better judgement - she briefly entertained the idea of letting him. However as soon as the notion entered her mind she dismissed it. Saul didn't know what he was doing, she couldn't take advantage of him like that. Shaking herself, she took a step backwards to put some distance between them. This wasn't real, she reminded herself. This was just the potion talking. No matter how much she wanted to believe otherwise, she couldn't allow herself to go down that path. 

"I will wait for you." He looked absolutely devastated when she moved away. "As I've waited for years. There will never be anyone else for me. And even if I have to wait forever, it will have all been worth it if it means I can spend every minute with you." 

Her heart was breaking at his words. She felt tears burning behind her eyes. It was a cruel trick of fate. Finally she got to hear the words she'd been longing to hear for years, only for them to be empty. Brought on only by a failed end of term project.

"What just happened?"

It ended as suddenly as it had started. Saul seemed to come to his senses at once when the last remnants of the potion disappeared from his bloodstream. She blinked quickly, not wanting him to see the unshed tears in her eyes. 

"What's wrong?" 

Of course he noticed, she could never manage to hide anything from him. Except of course how she truly felt. She kept that part of her safely locked away in the farthest corner of her mind. 

"Nothing." She lied hastily, fixing her gaze on a point on the ground. "How are you feeling?" 

She promptly changed the subject, keen to find out if the potion would have any lasting impact.

"I'm fine I guess... I feel a bit fuzzy. What happened?" 

He asked again, apparently not remembering the mortifying episode at dinner. Which - Farah thought to herself - was probably a blessing, given the things he'd said and done. If only there was a way she could forget as well. 

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with at the moment." Only when she felt confident her eyes were fully dry, she dared to look up again. 

"Though perhaps it'd be best if you lie down for a bit. I'll have someone bring by some supper later." 

Naturally, Farah had no way of knowing that Beatrix's amplification spell had caused the potion to become unstable, which explained Saul's current memory loss. Nor could she have known this outcome would turn out to be only temporary. 

\----------

The next day, the fairies of the winx suite were rapidly discovering while it was one thing to resolve to give Silva and Dowling a much needed nudge, it was quite another to agree on the nature of aforementioned nudge. 

"How about giving both courage potion?" 

Stella's suggestion received little in the way of enthusiasm. The girls were sat outside during their break, watching the specialists train and brainstorming about the best way to get Dowling and Silva together. 

"I think after the train wreck that was Bloom and Terra's end of term project, we can all agree to steer well clear of the potions." 

Musa voiced the collective opinion. If anything, using a potion again would probably just give Dowling yet another excuse to discount any resulting declarations of love.

"Oh I know, how about we lock them up in a cupboard until they see sense?" 

Terra offered next. To be fair, it wasn't actually the worst idea so far. Or it at least that would have been the case if it hadn't been for one glaringly obvious issue.

"You do realise Dowling can probably undo whatever lock we place on a door in her sleep." 

Aisha was the first to point out the issue, much to Terra's disappointment.

"Alright, so what if one of us flirts Silva to make her jealous." 

More than one pair of eyes were rolled at this suggestion. Bloom was clearly getting a bit carried away by the excitementment.

"First of all, if Dowling's there Silva probably won't even notice. Secondly, if he doesn't notice, it won't actually make Dowling jealous. And thirdly, are you volunteering? Because I know I sure as hell am not going to do it." 

Stella was quick to burst her bubble. Getting a laugh from the other girls when she wiggled her eyebrows. 

"Hey, where are they going?" 

While they were busy entertaining unrealistic schemes, the second topic of their conversation had marched onto the training field towards the headmaster and after a few minutes of conversation the pair walked off together in the direction of the stone circle. 

"Let's find out shall we?" 

There was a devious quality to Stella's voice as jumped up, brushing the grass off her clothes in an elegant gesture. 

"I really don't think..." 

Aisha started to protest, but stopped when on either side she felt a hand grabbing her arm and lifting her up. 

\-------------

Farah was about to make her way back to the school after informing Saul about the conversation she'd just had with queen Luna, when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

"I've been meaning to tell you..." he paused momentarily,, taking in her questioning look. "I've started to remember some bits and pieces of what happened yesterday. I did ask Ben to fill me in on the gaps, but he just told me to speak with you."

Farah'd heart sunk when Saul mentioned he regained some of his memories. To be honest, she had rather hoped she'd never have to talk about last night ever again, especially not with him. She looked around taking in the large number of the students who were either training or enjoying the beautiful weather. 

"Not here." 

She motioned him to follow her towards the stone circle, where they could talk in private. 

"I should apologise really. I don't remember much of it, but..." 

Saul trailed off, an image of him leaning in to kiss her and her swiftly stepping away flashed in front of his eyes and Saul felt his cheeks burning at the mere memory. 

"You sang 'close to you' by carpenters"

She blurted out. The tension was making her a little apprehensive. As far as she was concerned, they didn't need to have this conversation at all. It had happened. She I knew it didn't mean anything. End of story.

"Yes, well..." 

He scratched his head, his face flushing. Se wasn't sure she'd never seen him quite this awkward before, not even during their school days. 

"I am really sorry, I never meant to make you uncomfortable. I don't know what came over me." 

Ben had refused to tell him what had actually happened during dinner, insisting he needed to talk it over with Farah. Something must have triggered his behaviour though, that much was clear to him. How else could it be explained that he'd started singing in the presence of the entire school? He had, however, been extremely reluctant to talk to Farah without knowing the full story, considering the fact that he'd clearly made a complete fool of himself in front of her. 

"You don't have to apologise Saul, you are not to blame." Farah decided to put him out of his misery. "You were under the influence of a love potion that's gone spectacularly wrong." A humourless laugh escaped her lips at this admission. "So don't worry about it, I already know you don't actually feel that way about me. I just happened to be the first person you set eyes on."

She explained, imagining he must be relieved to know he hadn't actually acted on his own accord yesterday. 

"Is that what you think happened?"

Not for the first time, Saul decided she really was the single most frustrating person he had ever met. He had practically bared his deepest, most private feelings for all to see and still she managed to write them off as the effects of a potion "gone wrong". 

\-------

"We should do something."

The fairies were watching the scene enfold before their eyes. Although they couldn't actually hear the conversation from their hiding place between the trees, the awkwardness between the two was painfully apparent.

"What do you suggest?"

Musa said sceptically. They had just spend the whole morning trying to come up with a plan that didn't rival Riven's recent actions for dumbest move of the year. Basically, they'd come up short so far. 

"Quick Terra, use those vine-thingies to bind them together like you did last time. " 

Bloom whispered a little too enthusiastically in Terra's opinion. 

"Oh no, I'm not doing that again!" 

By some miracle, she had not faced any reprimand for her impulsive and more or less accidental use of magic in the greenhouse. Probably because Dowling and Silva had been too dazed to say anything, and her farther had simply been too amused. She wasn't about to push her luck though, thank you very much. 

"Perhaps we should just head back?" 

Aisha tried. Naturally, she felt the idea to follow the two without an actual plan had been pretty rash to begin with. 

"Are you crazy?" 

Stella countered, convinced of the fact that Silva and Dowling being 'alone' presented the ultimate chance for them to make their move. 

"Oh my god, look!" 

Musa felt the change before anything had actually happened. As they all turned to look at both teachers, they were just in time to see Silva abrupty capturing Dowling's lips. Clearly taken by surprise, her arms flew up in the air in an almost comical gesture, before wrapping around him after the initial shock wore off.

"Okay, clearly time to go now." 

Stella broke the stunned silence when Silva backed the headmistress into one of the standing stones and she lifted a leg around his waist. 

"I think it's all rather romantic." 

Bloom was still looking at the pair with interest. 

"I'm sure. Now let's go!" 

Stella forcefully pulled Bloom away from the scene. Leave the two lovebirds to enjoy it in private. 

"Do you think they are going to..." 

Before Bloom could finish her sentence, she was hastily interrupted by Terra.

"Stop right there, I don't want to think about it." 

The earth fairy put her fingers in her ears demonstratively. 

\------

Ben hurriedly stepped into the shadow of a large tree when the young fairies approached his hiding place. He smiled to himself. They obviously had a lot to learn when it came to scheming, meddling and matchmaking. Fortunately, after last night Ben had also decided to give his friends some much needed help, simply by forcing Saul to talk to Farah about last night. He had sneaked after them in case his initial measure turned out to be inadequate. However, casting one last glance at the snogging pair, he felt it was safe to conclude his mission had been rather a success.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took me a bit longer to write than I expected, but since in all likelihood this is going to be the last chapter, I wanted it to be just right. Posting this is honestly making a little nervous 😅. I got multiple requests for the remainder of the conversation from Farah and Saul, so this chapter will pick up from the last part of their conversation.
> 
> I just wanted to say thank you again to those of you who took the time to leave a comment. I really appreciate it 😘

"Is that what you think happened?" 

Not for the first time, Saul decided she really was the single most frustrating person he had ever met. He had practically bared his deepest, most private feelings for all to see and still she managed to write them off as the effects of a potion "gone wrong". 

"Well I know that's what happened." 

Farah started explaining in all seriousness, not picking up the underlying meaning of his question, nor on the trace of hurt in his voice. 

"Dane stole this potion made by Bloom and Terra, which was supposed to make someone confess their one true love." 

He could practically hear her eye roll at that last part. 'The queen of sarcasm' Ben had once called her - much to her annoyance - and though Saul had secretly agreed, he had known better than to openly voice such opinions. 

"Farah.." He tried and failed to interject. 

"They must have made some sort of mistake though..."

She continued, ignoring the mention of her name out of the overwhelming need to make him understand that she'd known all along his confessed love for her hadn't been real. 

"..because evidently that isn't what happened. " 

The laugh that escaped her lips sounded forced even to her own ears. Desperate to do some damage control, she'd resolved to keep a tight lid the disappointment that was still nagging in the pit of her stomach. It would be better for him to think she was seeing the humour in the situation. That way they could leave the incident behind them as quickly as possible and move forward. She'd much rather suffer in silence than allow these rather unfortunate events to make things awkward between them. 

"Farah.."

Saul tried again. He didn't have to be an empath to pick up on the waves of nervous energy that were practically rolling off of the fairy before him.

"I mean you should've heard some of the things you said." 

She was painfully aware of the fact that she was rambling. On top of that, she could tell Saul had noticed as well, judging by the urgency with which he called out her name for a third time in an attempt to make her stop. But she couldn't stop, not even if she'd wanted to. The words just kept on coming. 

"There's no way you would have..." 

After his third attempt to get her attention failed, Saul had enough. In that moment, spurred on by years and years of built up frustration, he did the bravest thing he'd done in his entire life. He stepped forward and kissed her full on the mouth, effectively putting a stop to the waterfall of words. He could feel her stiffen at the unexpected impact. For a moment he was afraid he'd made a mistake of cataclysmic proportion, when all of a sudden he felt her arms snake around his back, pulling his body flush against hers. Saul felt like he was floating. In a bold move he backed her up into the nearest standing stone and was immediately rewarded when her leg came up around his waist, pulling him even closer. In response, he let his fingers slide down along her spine to cup her backside, relishing in the soft hum she let out. She ground her hips into his at the contact. There was a desperate quality to the way her hands roamed his body and ended up winding into his hair, almost as if she was afraid he might disappear if she let go. 

"We should talk." 

Saul said rather earnestly when he finally broke away. As much as he was enjoying this, he needed to know what this actually was. 

"Later" 

Farah, determined to savour this moment, pulled his head to the exposed skin of her neck, letting out the most delicious noise when he trailed open mouthed kisses from under her jaw to her collarbone. Her insides felt like they were going to explode at the myriad of feelings she was currently experiencing. She was ecstatic of course. She had longed for this moment almost as long as she could remember. And oh the things he was doing right now had her practically melt into him. She was vaguely aware of the fact that she moaned his name when he reached a particularly sensitive part of her neck. Her breath hitched when in response he lingered, sucking the sweet spot just above the beginning of her shoulder. And yet... Amongst the joy and pleasure there was also this inexplicable feeling of loss. Of what might have been, if only they'd been braver before. 

"What's wrong?" 

Saul's eyes flew open when his thumb brushed against her cheek and felt the wetness of tears there. Only when she heard the concern in his voice, she realised she was actually crying. Frustrated at the sudden wave of sadness washing over her she lightly shook her head, letting out a sigh.

"I guess we really should talk first." 

She conceded, sliding down so she was sitting with her back against the stone gently motioning him to sit beside her. In retrospect, it might have been for the best their moment of passion was cut short. Though technically the stone circle was out of bounds, she realised with mild horror that any of the more daring students might have walked in on them. Perhaps someone already had... She quickly pushed the notion out of her mind. Now there was a possibility she truly didn't want to think about. No, it was definitely for the best her brain had started to kick in when it did, because at the rate they'd been going she would have happily let him take her right there and then. 

"We wasted so many years."

She said in a quiet voice after a few minutes of silence. She wasn't looking at him, instead she was staring right ahead while her fingers played with the necklace she was wearing. 

"Well yes, it did take us rather a long time. But I wouldn't say it was wasted." 

He tore his eyes away from the hypnotic movements of her hands to look at the barely dried tear tracks running along her face.

"We've always had each other." 

God he was turning all mushy, but he meant it. No time that was spent in her company could ever be called 'wasted'. At this she finally turned towards him, wearing that smile he loved so much. He reached out his hand to tuck a loose strand behind her ear. 

"I love you." 

It wasn't the first time he'd said it, but in case there was still any doubt left in her mind, he'd gladly say it again and again. The words had a visible effect on the woman sitting next to him, her eyes lighting up, her smile widening at his admission. He felt a warmth spreading inside him while he looked at her. She looked stunning with her hair partly undone serving as a reminder of their mutual desire.

"I love you too." 

His heart skipped a beat when she responded, leaning her head against his shoulder with a contended sigh. Surely he had to be the luckiest man alive, he thought to himself, resting his cheek on top of her head.

\------ 

Ben had made his way back to the greenhouse a few moments earlier, remembering Riven and Dane would shortly arrive for their regular detention session. Ben had been rather grateful for the help. As much as he loved his plants, there were a couple of tasks he could certainly do without. Today, however, he was in an exceptionally good mood. And with good reason. 

"So we don't have to remove grubworms from the soil?" 

Riven asked in bewilderment. One couldn't really blame him, after all he'd spent the last couple of detentions doing the absolute foulest tasks of the greenhouse. 

"Or squeeze out those gross boils on the *mucuseae?" 

Despite this being his first detention, Dane's tone mirrored Riven's. Apparently the boy had been forewarned about the horrors he was going to encounter. Ben had half a mind to let them do just that, simply for asking. However, he reminded himself that both Riven and Dane had in fact played a part in the long overdue uniting of Farah and Saul. As their best friend, Ben had long suspected those two had feelings for one another. And though he had vowed not to interfere, the sheer stubborness of those two combined had proven too much even for him to bear. 

"Nope, just pruning and repotting today." 

He headlight himself smiling when he heard Riven whistle a couple of lines once he started working on the designated plants and trees. As it turned out, he had a bit of a green thumb, which Ben resolved to make better use of during the remainder of his detention. Dane did try, but was obviously better suited to the heavy lifting. After an hour or two the specialists left sweaty, but strangely content. Ben himself was about to have some much deserved tea when he heard the door being opened somewhat aggressively.

"Ben!" 

He knew that tone meant trouble. Instinctively he took a few steps back when Farah came into view. He couldn't quite read her face, but he'd witnessed her wrath often enough for him to be extremely cautious. He felt his back collide with the willow which stood at the centre of the large greenhouse. Immediately the tree sprung to life, the lowhanging branches wrapped around his torso, binding him to the tree trunk.

"You. Did. That. On. Purpose." 

With each punctuated word, the branches spiralled around him in another loop.

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." 

He tried, starting voice less convincing than he'd like it to. Then again, braver men had crumbled under Farah's stare and, as a matter of fact, he was starting to become pretty uncomfortable in his current predicament. Damn those branches were tight. 

"You knew, didn't you? You knew there was nothing wrong with the potion." 

Unsurprisingly, she wasn't buying his denial. He'd never once managed to pull a wall over her eyes. 

"If I admit it, will you stop hurting me?" 

He would have raised his hands in defeat, if he could indeed have moved his arms at all. She scoffed, but allowed the willow to slacken enough for him to slide out underneath. 

"I did know." He began, making sure to stay well it of reach of any of the plants surrounding them before continuing. Not being an earth fairy by birth, Farah couldn't actually conjure up vines out of thin air, which was rather a comforting thought at the moment. 

"The question is, why didn't you?"

He said in a teasing voice, more confident now he was sure he couldn't be attacked by his precious plants anymore. Despite this newfound assurance, he had to consciously fight the urge to back away again when she stepped into his personal space. For a moment he feared he'd gone too far, until he noticed she was actually smiling. 

"I'm an idiot."

She murmured just before pecking his cheek.

"You look happy." 

Ben said, after having the opportunity to inspect her face up close. She looked more relaxed than he'd seen her in years. 

"I am happy." 

She admitted before pulling him into a hug.

\-----

It proved rather difficult for Farah to concentrate on teaching the rest of the day. Especially during her first lesson following her meet up with Saul. Even more so because she could've sworn Bloom had been winking at her at some point. She couldn't know right? Then again, the first years did have a free period that morning. And curious as Bloom and her friends were, it wasn't entirely unthinkable they might have followed her and Saul. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks when she thought back to the intensity with which she'd kissed Saul and the sounds she must have made. Oh god, how much had they actually seen. She groaned internally at the realisation that if Bloom knew, soon Sky would know too. And with Bloom's definition of discretion chances were Riven would find out as well. And of course, if Riven knew... it was safe to assume any hope of keeping their budding relationship a secret would most certainly be lost. Well what's done, was done. To be honest, nothing could really dampen her mood today, not even the knowing looks Bloom was now sending in her direction, nor the prospect of the fervent whispering that was bound to follow her and Saul the coming days. They would die down eventually. Come to think about it, considering the scene that had played out during dinner last night, this bit of news could hardly make it worse. And if not, it was a small sacrifice to make for the feeling of pure happiness she was experiencing while making her way to Saul's quarters after her last lesson. She could feel the nervous flaps of butterfly wings in her stomach in the best possible way, when his door opened and he eagerly pulled her inside. 

\------

Naturally, within a few days the whole school did know about the newly established relationship. Although Farah was quite amazed at the speed with which the news had travelled, she couldn't exactly bring herself to care. Not while she was lying in the arms of the sleeping man next to her. She rested her head on his bare torso, which was gently rising and falling in a calming rhythm. Let them talk, she thought before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

*I made the name mucuseae up myself for lack of a more disgusting sounding plant name


End file.
